We talked & talked about it and it finally happened. We met Jon & Kathy at Sierra Mar for lunch. The view from the dining area are great…except the day we went you could not see a damn thing. It was as if someone put a grey sheet in front of the panoramic windows. We could only laugh but the dishes were excellent.

As always I have grand ideas for a photoshoot with the boys. It never works out that way. They are just too excited, hyper & don’t take directions. I thought a smoke machine would be cool for the Ninja shots, that was til Koa started attacking the smoke. I wish I would have gotten a photo of that.

Rib roast dinner with Korbel Cabernet followed by their wonderful port. I forgot to take photos.

Friday morning setup day. We converted a sportsman’s shooting club into a wedding venue. I didn’t take many photos, luckily Sandy did.

Welcome picnic later in the afternoon. For whatever reason I didn’t take very many photos.

Saturday was wedding day. Sandy had the great idea to do a pajama portrait shoot after breakfast. I whipped out my new Godox AD600M and it performed flawlessly although the dappled sunlight gave me fits.

Nancy came over to do make up & hair.

Grabbed a couple of Humphries shots.

Afternoon traditional Filipino Barong shoot. I don’t know why they didn’t wear these during the ceremony.

Wedding time. I started to take some snapshots while the pro photographer was doing her thing.

No photos were allowed at the ceremony which I applaud. There were a few that refused to follow the rules. Dinner was provided by Roli Roti the food truck. It was quite unconventional but we loved it. The porchetta was to die for. I waited as usual knowing that the best photos will be after the alcohol is flowing. The melding of friends & family, the young & old was smooth. Everyone had a great time.

During dinner we snuck out to Blind Beach in Jenner. Sandy left her phone in the car so I handed her my little Sony RX100V. I don’t know why she would shoot so many photos of me.

I had exposure issues when I dropped my ND filter in the sand! The pounding waves were spectacular, but the photos don’t do it justice.

We were unaware that the Tubbs Fire started Monday about 1AM. Highway 101 was a mess so we took the the long route down highway 1. I wish I would have taken a photo of the surreal sky as the sun was obscured by all the smoke.

Then before you know it they’re all gone. As chaotic and as messy it sometimes got… I miss that family energy.

This year we decided to go to Hawaii as Joan & Larry have never been there. Since we have some locals in the group, Jon declared it the “Insiders Tour”.

Thursday: We all met at HNL airport where Joan & Larry got lei’d. We haven’t seen Joan since our Germany/Switzerland vacation so it was a nice reunion. After the airport pickups we went to the Asatos’ home where Gavin terrorized everyone.

Our temporary home in Oahu was located near Diamond Head. Sandy did an incredible job of finding us a magnificent rental.

Hawaiian snails are huge by the way. I’ll spare you from the cockroach photo.

Lunch was a quick take out from the Diamond Head Grill. My Wasabi Shoyu Ahi Steak Sandwich was good. Dinner was at the Side Street Inn. No pix as it was really dark and I was distracted by the food.

Friday: Breakfast at home was incredible. We had papaya, lychee and gigantic blueberry scones from the Diamond Head Grill Bakery courtesy of the Asatos. Joan quickly learned how to serve a papaya.

The Bishop Museum was 1st on the schedule where we took in some important information on Hawaiian history and culture.

Gavin got a hold of some palm fronds that were riddled with thorns. Who was watching him?

Lunch was at Piggy Smalls. The porchetta was incredible. I have to say it was one of the best meals during this vacashun.

After lunch, the rest of the group proceeded to the Doris Duke’s Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art. We passed on this one so I do not have any photos. Instead, we used the swimming pool at the house to burn off calories from two days of food binging.

Dinner was at 3660 on the Rise. The ambiance was relaxing and our waiter was good but I’m sorry to say the food was slow to come & the copper river salmon was overcooked.

Saturday: We got up early to walk with Roy to the Diamond Head Farmers Market. We didn’t have much time and the light was horrible so I can’t offer many photos. This was unfortunate as there were so many unique items.

A traditional Hawaiian lunch was set at the Highway Inn. This is where Joan got her 1st taste of Poi, it doesn’t look like she was impressed. Jon did not join us but he would have liked it as the food was served on compartment trays that kept the food from mixing.

Next destination was the North Shore in Haleiwa where we braved the long line at Matsumoto’s Shave Ice. A traffic jam prevented us from going down the eastern coast.

Tonight we celebrated Gavin’s 1st birthday at Hong Fu in Cupertino. The food was great and Gavin got a lot of attention. I shot these with my M5 and tried a Magmod Bounce for the first time rather than pointing my flash backward & upward. The results were mixed, as I got a few nasty reflection in the eyeglasses.